Photo: Carmen Mandato
Jason Smith: "You saw everything tonight that makes you nervous about Michael Penix Jr. at the next level. You know he's got the long windup. You saw that under duress, he was a much different quarterback. He did not have a clean pocket, and you're not going to have a clean pocket in the NFL. Seeing what he was like under duress gives me a little bit of a pause, along with the fact that he lollipops the ball way too much. When you lollipop a ball like that in the NFL, that's a hospital ball, you're receiver gets killed trying to get it, or a defensive back comes in and intercepts the ball. All game long, when he had to throw the ball, there was a lot of air under it, and that's a big concern when in the NFL. You can get away with that in college, but you can't get away with that in the NFL. He fought tonight, he was a warrior, and I was incredibly impressed with his swagger and ability to stay in that game. But the issues tonight, when it comes to the NFL, those are things that are a really big deal."
Jason Smith and Mike Harmon react to Washington losing to Michigan in the National Championship Game. Jason and Mike break down why Michael Penix Jr.'s pedestrian performance and struggles under duress highlight concerns NFL scouts may have for him translating his game to the next level.